Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as VoIP, Internet telephony, and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based on a network. Below is a diagram which shows a typical VoIP Solution Protocols are used to carry voice signals over the IP network, which is commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. Some cost savings are due to utilizing a single network to carry voice and data, especially where users have existing underutilized network capacity they can use for VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP to VoIP phone calls on any provider are typically free, whilst VoIP to PSTN calls generally costs the VoIP user.
Advantages of VoIP
Voice over IP (VoIP) was developed in order to provide access to voice communication in any place around the world. In most places, voice communication is quite costly. Consider making a phone call to a person living in a country half the globe away. Below we explore the benefits of VoIP and see how it can improve your home or business voice communication needs.
Simplified infrastructure. With VoIP on your network you no longer need separate cabling for your telephone system.
Scalabable. Traditional PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange) based phone systems come in many size ranges and it may be necessary periodically to scrap existing systems and replace hardware; this is not the case with VoIP systems.
Reduce operating costs. Because a VoIP exchange is based on software rather than hardware, it is easier to alter and maintain.
Improve productivity. VoIP treats voice as if it were any other kind of data, so users can attach documents to voice messages or participate in virtual meetings using shared data and videoconferencing.
Flexibility. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an allocated amount of bandwidth on the public Internet where public access is prevented through encryption. If your company has its own VPN and combines it with VoIP, you can set up a fully functioning office anywhere there is a broadband connection.
Disadvantages and Hazards
It has seduced millions of people and companies worldwide, especially in the US, with the numerous benefits it offers. Whether you have already switched to VoIP or are still considering the option, you need to be aware of the VoIP Cons - the different hazards are entails and the disadvantages attached to it. These are the main ones:
Voice quality
Put simply, Quality of Service (QoS) in VoIP is the level of ‘ quality’ offered by the VoIP service to place calls in a decent way. What I call good QoS for VoIP is the strict that can allow you to make a decent call without suffering from delays, weird sounds, noise and echo. VoIP has a bit to improve on QoS, but not in all cases. VoIP QoS depends on so many factors: your broadband connection, your hardware, the service provided by your provider, the destination of your call etc. More and more people are enjoying high quality of phone calls using VoIP, but still many users complain of hearing Martian, having to wait a lot before hearing an answer etc. Regular telephone service has provided so good quality that the slightest shortcoming with a VoIP call does not go unnoticed
If this process takes some milliseconds more (due to slow connection or hardware), the quality of the call suffers. The gives rise to echo, which is the phenomenon whereby you hear your voice back some milliseconds after your speak. However, if you can be sure of a good broadband connection, high quality hardware and a good VoIP service, you can use VoIP without fear. Some service providers do things to prevent echo, but it also depends on your connection and quality of your hardware. VoIP is Highly Dependent on Bandwidth
Another name for VoIP is Internet Telephony. I am allowing myself the term ‘broadband’ here because I am assuming you do have a broadband Internet connection if you are using or intend to use VoIP. While VoIP does work over a dial-up connection, it is just too slow for VoIP.
Bandwidth dependency
Connection down
Since VoIP depends on your broadband connection, if the connection goes down, your phone line goes down as well. The formula is simple: with VoIP, no Internet means no phone. This can be very annoying at home, and catastrophic for your business. Poor connection
If you connection quality is not good, you will have a very bad VoIP experience and you will finally hate the technology, your hardware, your service provider ... and maybe the poor person you talk to! Shared connection
In a corporate context, you will most probably be deploying VoIP over a high-speed broadband connection, which you will also use for other data and communication needs: downloads, server connectivity, chat, email etc. VoIP will finally get only a share of your connection and peak times can leave inadequate bandwidth for it, causing call quality to deteriorate. Since you have multiple users, you won’t know the number of users which will be online at the same time, so it is difficult to provide to adequate bandwidth all the time. It is damaging to have your company’s phone line reduced due to poor connection.
A good practice is to minimize the use of your Internet connection for other things than VoIP whenever you are talking.
Power dependency
You need to plug your modem, router, ATA or other VoIP hardware to the electric power supply for it to work – unlike PSTN phones. If there is a power interruption, you cannot use your phone! Using a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) won’t help beyond a few minutes.
Emergency calls
VoIP service providers are not bound by regulations to offer emergency 911 calls, so not all of them offer it. Although many companies are making an effort to provide for emergency calls in their service, this issue remains an important deterrent against VoIP. Read more on emergency 911 calls in VoIP here.
Security
This one is the last in this list, but it is not the least! Security is a main concern with VoIP, as it is with other Internet technologies. The most prominent security issues over VoIP are identity and service theft, viruses and malware, denial of service, spamming, call tampering and phishing attacks. Read more on VoIP security threats here.
* PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Network. It is the same thing as POTS (Plain Old Telephone System). It is simply the worldwide telephone network. I am here referring to the old phone system. It carries analog data. In constrast, VoIP uses digital data.
Deciding when to use VoIP
VoIP offers substantial benefits and the technology has now advanced to the point where it can be an attractive alternative for business use. Initially it makes sense to introduce VoIP as an addition to your existing PABX-based system and gradually increase your level of sophistication as and when you need more functionality.
By initially restricting the roll-out of VoIP to a single department such as sales, and then extending it to the rest of the business as your needs dictate, you can minimize disruption and stagger your costs.
If you decide to use VoIP it is essential to check out the robustness of the networks you will be relying upon to ensure smooth implementation.
Below is a diagram which shows a typical VoIP Solution
Advantages of VoIP
Voice over IP (VoIP) was developed in order to provide access to voice communication in any place around the world. In most places, voice communication is quite costly. Consider making a phone call to a person living in a country half the globe away. Below we explore the benefits of VoIP and see how it can improve your home or business voice communication needs.
Disadvantages and Hazards
It has seduced millions of people and companies worldwide, especially in the US, with the numerous benefits it offers. Whether you have already switched to VoIP or are still considering the option, you need to be aware of the VoIP Cons - the different hazards are entails and the disadvantages attached to it. These are the main ones:
- Voice quality
Put simply, Quality of Service (QoS) in VoIP is the level of ‘ quality’ offered by the VoIP service to place calls in a decent way. What I call good QoS for VoIP is the strict that can allow you to make a decent call without suffering from delays, weird sounds, noise and echo. VoIP has a bit to improve on QoS, but not in all cases. VoIP QoS depends on so many factors: your broadband connection, your hardware, the service provided by your provider, the destination of your call etc. More and more people are enjoying high quality of phone calls using VoIP, but still many users complain of hearing Martian, having to wait a lot before hearing an answer etc. Regular telephone service has provided so good quality that the slightest shortcoming with a VoIP call does not go unnoticedIf this process takes some milliseconds more (due to slow connection or hardware), the quality of the call suffers. The gives rise to echo, which is the phenomenon whereby you hear your voice back some milliseconds after your speak. However, if you can be sure of a good broadband connection, high quality hardware and a good VoIP service, you can use VoIP without fear. Some service providers do things to prevent echo, but it also depends on your connection and quality of your hardware. VoIP is Highly Dependent on Bandwidth
Another name for VoIP is Internet Telephony. I am allowing myself the term ‘broadband’ here because I am assuming you do have a broadband Internet connection if you are using or intend to use VoIP. While VoIP does work over a dial-up connection, it is just too slow for VoIP.
- Bandwidth dependency
Connection downSince VoIP depends on your broadband connection, if the connection goes down, your phone line goes down as well. The formula is simple: with VoIP, no Internet means no phone. This can be very annoying at home, and catastrophic for your business.
Poor connection
If you connection quality is not good, you will have a very bad VoIP experience and you will finally hate the technology, your hardware, your service provider ... and maybe the poor person you talk to!
Shared connection
In a corporate context, you will most probably be deploying VoIP over a high-speed broadband connection, which you will also use for other data and communication needs: downloads, server connectivity, chat, email etc. VoIP will finally get only a share of your connection and peak times can leave inadequate bandwidth for it, causing call quality to deteriorate. Since you have multiple users, you won’t know the number of users which will be online at the same time, so it is difficult to provide to adequate bandwidth all the time. It is damaging to have your company’s phone line reduced due to poor connection.
A good practice is to minimize the use of your Internet connection for other things than VoIP whenever you are talking.
- Power dependency
You need to plug your modem, router, ATA or other VoIP hardware to the electric power supply for it to work – unlike PSTN phones. If there is a power interruption, you cannot use your phone! Using a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) won’t help beyond a few minutes.- Emergency calls
VoIP service providers are not bound by regulations to offer emergency 911 calls, so not all of them offer it. Although many companies are making an effort to provide for emergency calls in their service, this issue remains an important deterrent against VoIP. Read more on emergency 911 calls in VoIP here.- Security
This one is the last in this list, but it is not the least! Security is a main concern with VoIP, as it is with other Internet technologies. The most prominent security issues over VoIP are identity and service theft, viruses and malware, denial of service, spamming, call tampering and phishing attacks. Read more on VoIP security threats here.* PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Network. It is the same thing as POTS (Plain Old Telephone System). It is simply the worldwide telephone network. I am here referring to the old phone system. It carries analog data. In constrast, VoIP uses digital data.
Deciding when to use VoIP
VoIP offers substantial benefits and the technology has now advanced to the point where it can be an attractive alternative for business use. Initially it makes sense to introduce VoIP as an addition to your existing PABX-based system and gradually increase your level of sophistication as and when you need more functionality.
By initially restricting the roll-out of VoIP to a single department such as sales, and then extending it to the rest of the business as your needs dictate, you can minimize disruption and stagger your costs.
If you decide to use VoIP it is essential to check out the robustness of the networks you will be relying upon to ensure smooth implementation.
Bibliography
Crown. “Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)” Business Advice. is4profit Limited. 2000-2006 <http://www.is4profit.com/businessadvice/voip/index.htm>
Nadeem Unuth. “Reasons for Choosing Voice over IP - VoIP Advantages” Voice Over IP. About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. 2006 < http://voip.about.com/od/voipbasics/a/ReasonsForVoIP.htm >